The Red Pajamas
by mkim57
Summary: Just a bit of post Christmas fluff in response to Pixie's December challenge on the Recon board.


The Red Pajamas

Chapter 1/1

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the JAG characters. I don't own any product or label mentioned for the purposes of telling this story. Any similarities to situations or persons living or dead are purely coincidental.

Spoiler: The episode 'The 4 Solution' from Season 10.

A/N: This is a challenge fic from the Recon board for December. The words for this month are as follows: candles, wood stove, candy cane, and shiver.

A/N: This is pure fluff, a much needed piece of fluff to give my mind a rest. (Smile)

A/N: This is not betaed, all mistakes are mine.

1030

Sunday

December 26th 2004

Mac's Apartment

Georgetown

A light snow was falling, as Harm sat in his SUV in front of Mac's apartment building, looking at the gift he had placed on the seat beside him. It was in a box, wrapped in silver paper with an oversized red bow. He was trying to decide, as he drove over, whether or not the gift was too personal, or better yet, wondering what the hell he had been thinking when he bought it.

He and Mac had been together all night Christmas Eve into Christmas Day at the hospital, after Mac's accident. She had called out for him, when he had nearly given up hope of anything between them. He had driven her home yesterday morning and stayed until late last night. Mac had slept some of the time but he had taken care of her all day and she had allowed it. They spoke, but about inconsequential things, most of the time was spent in companionable silence.

They were closer now; her acknowledgment that she had been pushing him away drew him in, and gave him new hope about their chances of a deeper relationship.

As he sat in his vehicle, contemplating how he would even begin to explain his choice of her gift, his mind wandered back to the day he bought it.

Saturday approximately two weeks before….

Harm walked at a leisurely pace, down the smooth red bricked walks of the shopping district in Georgetown. The black wrought iron street lamps were decorated with greenery and white lights, garnished with small candy canes and red ribbon. Harm had been wandering around aimlessly, looking in shop windows, having already finished his Christmas shopping for Mattie and his mother, he wasn't sure why he came here today.

He passed a store front with a large display window, decorated for the season with candles and garland, and in it were sweaters and accessories glittering with beads and sequins. They caught Harms eye and as he turned, his eyes came to rest on a pair of red silk pajamas.

He slowed his pace and then stepped over to the window. As he looked at them, his mind immediately turned to Mac. They were just a plain pair of pajamas, cut much the same as the pair of flannel pajamas, with cowboys and Indians, he had seen her wear any number of times before.

Why did these particular pajamas make him think of her? He knew, he just didn't want to admit it to himself. It was their color. Red. He loved the way she looked in red, he always had. These were the deepest red, textured with a design if the same color that gave the material the appearance of red Christmas ribbon. He could almost see her in them. Her hair down around her shoulders, the shirt open at her neck revealing just enough of her satiny skin and delicate collar bones for him to want to see more. The silky material would cling, he knew, in all the right places.

He was startled by a feminine voice beside him.

"It's the perfect Christmas gift for your wife." A young woman, who couldn't have been more than 20 years old, stood beside him and smiled up at him. She had dark hair and eyes and a mischievous smile that Harm couldn't help returning.

"I'm not married…yet" Why did he say that? He was giving the impression of actually having someone in his life.

The young woman could tell this man had someone in mind, if the expression on his face was any indication.

"Oh, then your fiancée would love it too... come on in, my Mom owns this shop, we'll wrap it up for you."

She had already started turning toward the door of the shop, to open it, and for reasons he would never understand, Harm followed her in, obediently.

He was approached by a woman who had to be the young woman's mother. "Can I help you sir?"

"He wants the red pajamas, Mom." This young lady was already taking the situation in hand.

"Of course sir, what size to you need?" The woman looked at him expectantly.

What was happening here? It appeared he was buying Mac a gift, and hardly uttering a word in the process.

What size did she wear? If he got them too big, she'd think he thought she was fat, if he got them too small…oh what the hell…"Medium. I think."

The owner of the shop smiled at him indulgently, "Medium is always a safe bet." Most men didn't know their wives sizes, in anything, even when they'd been married for years. "I'm sure your wife will love them. They seem to be my best selling item this season."

"I'm…not married…"

"They're for his fiancée, Mom."

Harm hoped Mac would be his fiancée, someday; talking about their baby deal seemed to be all of the future they could talk about. He wanted it all with her, he hoped she would see that, soon.

"Oh, well I'm sure she'll like them too."

The young woman whose smile reminded him so much of Mac's, in better days, joined them, carrying a box with the red pajamas folded neatly into it. "Will this do, sir?"

Harm looked at the silver paper on the outside of the box and the folded tissue embossed with snowflakes of the same color.

"Great, thank you." He had nearly managed a sentence, he didn't seem to be able to say more than 3 or 4 words at a time.

He stepped up to the counter and paid for the pajamas and gift wrap as the red beribboned cover was placed on the box. He was given his change and he took the box from where it was placed on the counter.

"Thank you sir… and Merry Christmas." He was still looking slightly dazed and the shops owner thought…a bit grateful. They had helped him choose a gift for his fiancée, without a lot of effort, and he would get all the credit of it.

Harm nodded and backed away, "Thank you…you too."

He walked out of the door and started down the street. Feeling better than he had in days, he walked past a number of store fronts with a spring in his step, when suddenly; he stopped and looked at his package.

"What did I just do?" He spoke his thoughts aloud. He shook his head and walked on, carrying the package under his arm, thinking this package would more than likely collect dust in the bottom of his closet.

Back to Mac's apartment

December 26th 2004

Harm sat, still contemplating whether or not to give Mac such a personal gift, when he looked up to see Mac watching him from the window. She had to have seen the package sitting on his front seat.

"No turning back now." He thought aloud.

He got out of his vehicle and made his way to the walkway, just cleared of snow, bringing the gift along with him.

Maybe it wasn't too personal.

In moments, Harm was standing at her apartment door with his gift held at his side. As he rang the doorbell, he was nearly holding it behind him, hoping that buying this gift hadn't been a huge mistake.

Mac felt a shiver of anticipation as she answered her door; she thought he would never get here this morning. The last 36 hours had been nearly perfect. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this close to Harm, or so completely happy.

"Hey." Harm stood in her doorway, wearing his favorite jeans and a v neck sweater of sage green. The white t shirt beneath it and the black leather coat, seemed to exude masculinity, filling her senses even before he walked into the room.

She wore a running suit in a warm brown, which brought out the rich colors of her eyes and hair. The material was soft and looked so touchable that Harm tightened his grip on her gift and his emotions. Her nose and cheeks were still slightly pink, the result of the air bag that lessened the impact of her collision with a tree. The airbag in the steering wheel of her vehicle that had probably saved her life. She looked down and curiously around Harm, to see what he was trying to hide behind his back. "What do you have there?"

Harm brought the brightly wrapped package around in front of him. "I forgot to give you your Christmas present yesterday, so I thought I'd bring it with me."

Harm looked around the beautifully decorated room. Mac's apartment always looked so warm and welcoming, especially around the Holidays. From where he stood, he could see the fireplace, and though it was a gas log, it gave off the warmth of a wood stove.

"You look better today." He had returned his gaze to her, truly relieved that she was looking so much better.

"Thank you." Mac felt herself blushing as she took the present from him and Harm removed his coat as he followed her into the apartment. Just as Mac was going to thank him and tell him she had a gift for him too, Harm began talking…fast, and not allowing her to get a word in.

"I, uh, bought it a couple of weeks ago, I hope you like it. I know we didn't do this last year but I thought since we are getting along better and well, we have been talking about…being parents together, that we could resume…I mean, I could go ahead and get you something. If you don't like it, its okay, I can take it back."

Mac turned around and looked at him. "Harm?" What had come over him?

He stopped talking and looked at her. "What?"

"Sit down, I'll open it, I'm sure it will be fine, I have a gift for you too." His gift couldn't be any worse than the one she had chosen for him.

She hadn't planned on giving the gift to him, thinking he might feel awkward, since he hadn't given her anything. She hadn't given it a lot of thought, since she was beginning to feel as though they had started over Christmas Eve night and that was enough for her.

Besides, the gift was kind of silly, who knew what he would make of it?

Mac walked over to her Christmas tree and took the package from under it. She placed it on the coffee table in front of him. "I hope you'll like my gift too, it was kind of a joke and I just bought it on an impulse. You'll probably think I've gone crazy."

Harm looked at her and frowned.

"Go ahead and open it." Mac sat down next to him and clasped her hands in her lap.

Harm leaned forward, lifting the top of the neatly wrapped box, covered in blue paper with a silver bow. He opened the tissue paper and immediately began to laugh.

"Pajamas, Mac?" Maybe they were on the same page after all.

"I know, I know, I was in a weird mood and I just bought them" She looked at him sheepishly.

Harm thought Mac would never know how relieved he was and now, seeing that she was blushing and laughing along with him, he would take this ribbing a little further. Laughing with her felt good, no… it felt wonderful. Yesterday had been sweet and serious, today; maybe this was just what they both needed.

"Plaid…Red plaid?" He waggled his eyebrows.

Mac started to laugh in earnest. "I know, I was kind of…mad at you when I bought them."

Harm's expression became more serious.

"Oh, I got over it, and believe it or not, the pajamas helped." Mac wanted to change the subject. "Now…. I'll open my gift."

Harm was immediately apprehensive. "Okay." He rubbed his palms on his thighs, suddenly feeling too warm. A light sweat was breaking out across his brow.

Mac opened her gift box and lifted the red silk pajama top out of the box. "Oh, Harm. I love them…they're beautiful."

She turned to look at him, her eyes full of true affection, and Harm hoped, something more, something deeper than they had ever allowed themselves to share before.

The intensity of it all caused Harm to stand up and walk across the room, suddenly keenly aware of how closely they were sitting together. He turned to look at her and asked,

"Not too…personal? I mean, I liked them, I thought you might, but I didn't want to push. You said, 'let me come to you,' I didn't want to make you feel…"

He was babbling again.

"Harm, its fine, they're fine."

"Did I get the right size?" He jammed his hands in the pockets of his jeans, his eyebrows lifted in question. Relief washed over him in waves, he hadn't overdone it after all. She was thrilled with her gift.

Mac looked at the tag. "I think so, I'll try them on. I'm sure they'll fit."

In moments, Mac stepped back out into her living room, wearing the red silk pajamas. "So, what do you think?" Mac knew immediately that he liked what he saw, but she wanted to hear him tell her just the same.

"Good, they fit." She looked beautiful, she had to know it. How was it that Mac looked sexy as hell, even when she was covered from head to foot? He hoped she wouldn't come any closer and as she walked toward him, he smiled and said, "They look great."

He averted his eyes from her quickly and casually walked further away from her, hoping she wouldn't see what he felt at this moment. It was the nearly uncontrollable urge to pull her into his arms, and feel that red silk sliding over curves that had been the stuff of his dreams for years.

As he walked back toward her couch, his eyes came into focus on his Christmas gift. Just what he needed, he thought, a distraction. He nodded toward it, then grinned at her mischievously.

"There is more to the story behind this gift, Mac. Care to explain?" Harm raised his eyebrows, hoping this distraction would work.

Mac thought for a moment, she didn't want to bring up anything that would take away the peace that seemed to be between them now.

"Are you sure you want to hear it?" She gave him a cautious look.

"I can take it Mackenzie, tell me." 'Just don't come any closer' he thought.

Heedless of any of Harm's feelings, Mac walked across the room and sat down next to him, looking into his eyes, trying to gauge what his reaction might be.

She spoke, "Okay….Well…" Mac turned away from him. "When I came to see you…you know, a couple of months ago, when you and Alicia were having dinner, I…well, I thought you had moved on. I thought you weren't going to wait for me… to come to you, anymore."

She looked at Harm again and he smiled at her and shook his head, as if he thought she should have known better. Reassured, she continued.

"So, I was out doing some early Christmas shopping a few weeks later and I saw these…and I just bought them."

"Why?" Harm knitted his brow.

Mac smiled at him wryly, "I was hoping you'd wear them and that Alicia would hate them."

Harm was quiet for a moment; Mac wasn't sure what he was thinking. "I know, it sounds childish, but for a while, I hated her. She was with you, in my place…or what I thought was my place."

Harm turned to her quickly, reaching for her arm to turn her gently toward him. "Mac, nobody ever took your place. No one ever will." He searched her face, hoping to see that she believed him. "I…love you Mac."

His confession nearly took her breath away. When she found her voice, she answered him. "I love you."

He leaned toward her and kissed her lips gently. She returned his kiss, tentatively at first, and then Harm responded by deepening it, grasping her arms and pulling her more closely to him.

As they eased back into the couch and she fell deeper into his embrace, Mac reveled in the feel of his arms around her, even as her sore ribs protested.. His kisses seemed grow in passion by the second. She startled when she felt a sharp pain at her top lip, her face was still slightly sore from the air bag burn she incurred during her accident.

"Mac..did I hurt you?" He pulled back abruptly, he was slightly short of breath, but his face was full of concern.

"It's okay; I'm still a little sore from the accident." She reached up to stroke his cheek, not wanting this moment to end.

He was feeling the same way but he began to try to rein himself in, and then kissed her forehead. "Mac, as much as I'm enjoying this, I think you better change back into what you were wearing before." His voice was low and suggested a familiarity she had only dreamed of.

"Am I that irresistible?' Mac teased.

Harm looked directly into her eyes. "You have no idea."

Mac thought, 'Damn that stupid accident,' they would have to wait and the moment seemed so perfect. But then, if it had not been for that accident, they might never have found their way to each other at all.

Mac kissed him again, lightly, and slipped carefully out of his arms and walked back to her bedroom.

As Harm watched her go, he thought of the red pajamas in the window that fit Mac so beautifully and had made this night so special.

Buying them was the best idea he never had.

FIN


End file.
